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Forensic audit finds control gaps but validates most payments to Merit Academy
Summary
A forensic review presented to the Woodland Park School District RE-2 board found documentation supporting payments to Merit Academy previously flagged as questionable, but the audit also identified multiple internal-control weaknesses and recommended contract clarifications and 20 corrective actions.
Brandon Walbrand, the engagement leader for the district's forensic accounting team, told the Woodland Park School District RE-2 board that follow-up interviews and documentation largely explained roughly $1.4 million in invoice payments to Merit Academy but also exposed systemic internal-control problems.
Walbrand said auditors reviewed nearly all invoices paid to Merit Academy for the engagement period (July 1, 2023'June 30, 2024), inspected supporting ledgers and emails, and interviewed Merit personnel. "We reviewed 98.9% of the invoices paid from Woodland Park to Merit Academy," he said. The firm confirmed proportionate-share calculations for federal programs and ESSER-related transfers after seeing…
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